Former Cubs right-hander Rafael Dolis, who spent the 2015 season with the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate and re-signed with Detroit after the season, has now been released to sign with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The 28-year-old Dolis posted a 4.61 ERA at the Triple-A level last season and hasn’t seen the Majors since 2013. Somewhat curiously, Dolis becomes the second pitcher this offseason to sign a minor league deal with Detroit only to be released to head to Japan. Righty Jake Brigham did the same last month in order to sign with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.

The Royals signed former Twins/Tigers right-hander Lester Oliveros,. The hard-throwing 27-year-old was traded from Detroit to Minnesota in 2011’s Delmon Young swap. He missed a season due to Tommy John surgery but has generally pitched well in Triple-A when healthy, owning a 3.71 ERA with 11.2 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 at that level. In the Majors, he has a 5.22 ERA in 29 1/3 innings, but he’s averaged nearly 94 mph on his fastball.

The Rays have signed left-hander Adam Wilk to a minor league deal. The 28-year-old saw his first Major League action since 2012 last year when he threw two innings for the Angels. Wilk’s 6.49 ERA in 26 1/3 Major League innings isn’t impressive, but he’s a nice depth option for the club’s Triple-A rotation, having worked to a 4.14 ERA in 543 2/3 innings at that level. Wilk had similar numbers in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2013, posting a 4.12 ERA in 91 2/3 innings with the NC Dinos.

The Tigers signed 17 minor leaguers, reports Anthony Fenech and James Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press. Among the most notable names are left-handed pitcher Drake Britton and right-handed pitchers Rafael Dolis, Lendy Castillo, and Preston Guilmet. The club also inked infielder Tommy Field. Britton, a former top Red Sox prospect, has pitched well in limited major league action. However, he scuffled with the Cubs Triple-A affiliate last season, posting a 5.08 ERA in 83 innings. Guilmet has strong minor league peripherals, but he’s struggled through 23 major league innings with a 8.22 ERA (4.28 xFIP).

The Tigers also inked right-handed pitcher Jake Brigham. However, his situation is unique in that he’s also pursuing a contract with NPB’s Rakuten Eagles. Brigham, soon-to-turn-28, has posted decent numbers as a minor league swingman. The Braves gave him a brief major league audition last season in which he threw 16 innings with a 8.64 ERA.

The Braves have signed former Reds starter David Holmberg, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Holmberg, 24, has thrown 62 major league innings over 12 starts and two relief appearances. He has a 6.24 ERA with 4.79 K/9 and 5.08 BB/9. Atlanta also acquired reliever Ethan Martin. The former Phillies swingman flashed decent stuff with command problems in the majors, leading to a 5.93 ERA, 10.43 K/9, and 5.93 BB/9 in 44 innings.

The Orioles have signed lefty Jeff Beliveau. The southpaw missed most of 2015 with a labrum injury. He’s experienced success as a situational reliever, including a 2.63 ERA with 10.50 K/9 and 2.63 BB/9 in 2014 (24 innings, 30 appearances).

The Marlins have added righty Dustin McGowan. The once successful 33-year-old pitched poorly for the Phillies while struggling with control in 2015. He was only marginally better at Triple-A. If McGowan recovers his form, he could be a valuable reliever. He has a career 4.68 ERA with 7.35 K/9 and 3.90 BB/9 in 505 innings.

The Mets have inked former Brewers closer Jim Henderson. Injuries caused the 33-year-old to lose his ninth inning role in 2014, and he’s failed to reestablish himself since then. Last season in 29 innings for Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate, Henderson posted a 4.55 ERA with 7.58 K/9 and 5.16 BB/9.

The Padres have signed Philip Humber to a minor league deal. Humber pitched the 2015 for the KBO’s KIA Tigers in 2015. He posted a 6.75 ERA in the offensively charged league. Humber is perhaps best remembered for his unlikely perfect game for the White Sox in April of 2012. He was also part of the haul that brought Johan Santana to the Mets.

The Giants signed outfielder Justin Maxwell, righty Cory Gearrin and lefty Nik Turley to minor league contracts, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports (Twitter link). Maxwell received significant playing time with the Astros and Royals in 2012-13, but he posted only a .397 OPS over 45 PA in 2014 as Kansas City moved on to other outfield options. He elected to become a free agent in October. Gearrin posted a 4.28 ERA, 8.8 K/9, and 2.06 K/BB rate in 69 1/3 IP out of the Braves bullpen from 2011-13 and missed all of 2014 due to Tommy John surgery. Turley, a 50th-round draft pick for the Yankees in 2008, has a 3.41 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 2.1 K/BB rate over 551 1/3 career minor league innings in New York’s system.

Also from Eddy, the Tigers signed right-handers Rafael Dolis and Alberto Cabrera to minor league contracts. The two righties are both 26 years old, both originally signed amateur contracts out of the Dominican Republic with the Cubs and both last pitched in the majors in 2013. Cabrera has a 5.20 ERA over 27 2/3 IP in the bigs, while Dolis has a 5.48 ERA over 44 1/3 IP. (Dolis spent last season with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate.)

The Rockies signed left-hander Buddy Boshers to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports. Boshers’ Major League resume consists of 15 1/3 relief innings for the Angels in 2013, and the 2008 fourth-rounder has a 3.67 ERA, 2.43 K/BB rate and 448 strikeouts over 446 1/3 IP over seven seasons in the Angels’ farm system.

Right-hander Anthony Bass has elected to become a free agent, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter link). Bass was outrighted off the Astros’ 40-man roster last month. As Drellich notes, Bass was hampered by an intercostal strain in 2014 and only pitched 27 innings for the Astros, posting a 6.33 ERA and an equal amount of strikeouts (seven) and walks.

The Indians signed catcher Adam Moore to a minor league deal that contains a Spring Training invitation, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link). Moore appeared in 60 games with the Mariners in 2010 but has since appeared in only 20 Major League games scattered over the last four seasons with Seattle, Kansas City and San Diego. The Padres outrighted Moore off their 40-man roster last month.

The Angels signed left-handers Adam Wilk and Edgar Ibarra, the team announced (via Twitter). Wilk, 26, appeared in eight games with the Tigers in 2011-12 and has since pitched in South Korea and for the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate. Ibarra is only 25 years old but already has nine years of pro experience, posting a 4.13 ERA, 2.03 K/BB and 7.8 K/9 over 654 innings in the Twins’ minor league system.

Here are today’s minor transactions, with the newest moves at the top of the post…

The Braves have signed pitcher Kameron Loe to a minor-league deal, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The Royals released Loe late last week. He had pitched 11 innings for Triple-A Omaha, whiffing four batters and walking seven. The former Rangers, Brewers, Mariners, Cubs and Braves pitcher threw 76 2/3 innings for the Braves’ Triple-A team in Gwinnett in 2013, posting a 3.07 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9.

The Giants released right-hander Rafael Dolis, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports. Dolis was a non-roster invitee to San Francisco’s Spring Training camp and he badly struggled (8 ER in 4 1/3 IP) in a brief stint with Triple-A Fresno. The 26-year-old righty posted a 5.48 ERA and recorded more walks (26) than strikeouts (25) over 44 1/3 relief innings with the Cubs from 2011-13.

Veteran catcher Eddy Rodriguez signed a coaching contract in the Red Sox organization, Rodriguez announced himself earlier this week via Twitter. The University of Miami product spent nine years in pro baseball with the Reds, Padres and Rays, slashing .235/.286/.386 in 2271 minor league PA. He appeared in two Major League games with San Diego in 2012 and his only big league hit (in seven PA) was a solo home run. Rodriguez was released by the Rays earlier this month.

The Phillies acquired outfielder Everett Williams from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations earlier this week, Eddy reports. Williams was picked by San Diego in the second round of the 2009 draft and has a .249/.314/.356 line over 1322 minor league PA, none higher than the Double-A level.

The Rays signed righty Casey Weathers to a minor league contract, Eddy reports. The eighth overall pick of the 2007 draft, Weathers was once considered to be a strong prospect in the Rockies’ system before he missed the entire 2009 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He has struggled to regain his form since, and didn’t pitch at any level in 2013. Weathers signed a minors deal with the Giants last December but was released in March.

After confirming the signing of Brad Penny, the Royals have announced that the club has inked another grizzled right-hander to a minor league deal: reliever Guillermo Mota. (Twitterlinks.) The 40-year-old last threw in the bigs in 2012 for the Giants. Since he started his career in 1999, Mota has made more relief appearances than all but five pitchers, the club noted in its press release. Mota receives a Spring Training invite.

The Giants have signed right-handed reliever Rafael Dolis and invited him to Spring Training, according to the club's list of non-roster invitees. Dolis, who just turned 26, had spent his entire career in the Cubs organization. He only saw five games in the bigs last year, but made 34 appearances in 2012. In his MLB career, Dolis has a 5.48 ERA in 44 1/3 innings pitched.

With the release of Vernon Wells, there are currently no players sitting in DFA limbo, as the MLBTR DFA Tracker reflects.

McDonald, 35 in November, slashed .302/.351/.434 in 57 plate appearances for the Cubs this season but spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A Iowa, where he hit .236/.307/.346. Dolis made 34 relief appearances for the Cubs in 2012, but pitched to a 6.39 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 and saw just five games this season before a June injury. McNutt, 24, was rated by Baseball America as the 48th best prospect in the country prior to the 2011 season. The well-traveled Neal was claimed on August 5th and played in two games before suffering a separated right shoulder.

With the moves, the Cubs’ 40-man roster currently stands at 37 players.